Old and vulnerable people ‘AREN’T getting their Covid jabs’ with spare vaccines offered to healthy volunteers
- At one health centre in South London 75 doses of the vaccine were left over
- The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed to work
- Elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous to go out
Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine.
At one health centre in South London, The Mail on Sunday has learned that 75 doses of the vaccine were left over as uptake had been so low.
Managers were left scrambling to find other patients to vaccinate and even offered a jab to healthy volunteers working there.
Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine
The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection. Experts suggested that elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous about venturing outdoors.
Caroline Abrahams at Age UK, said: ‘Simply getting to and from hospital is a huge challenge for a lot of older people.’
The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection
But an NHS spokesman insisted: ‘Uptake has been strong so far.’
The fears follow reports that care home residents have yet to receive the vaccine in large numbers despite being classed as high priority.
The Times reported Whitehall figures which suggested people in care only accounted for 0.3 per cent of the first 613,000 people who have received the jab.